National Assessment and

Accreditation Council
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is an organisation that evaluates
and certifies Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) in India. Students preparing for the IAS Exam
or any other Government Exam should be aware of this topic.

This topic can be classified under “Education” in General Studies paper 2 of the UPSC
Syllabus.

IAS aspirants can correlate such topics with current affairs in order to score more.

NAAC Chairperson Bhushan Patwardhan resigned in March 2023, a few days after
alleging that people with vested interests are indulging in malpractices, leading to the
awarding of questionable grades to some institutions.

● He had based his allegations on his own experiences as well as the findings of an inquiry
he commissioned after taking charge.
● The inquiry committee commissioned by Patwardhan was led by JP Singh Joreel, the
director of Information and Library Network, also a UGC centre.
● It found that the NAAC’s accreditation process was mired in irregularities.
● According to the inquiry report, some individuals without authority have full access to
the NAAC’s internal system.
● It also found that the IT system of the agency was found “compromised”.
● Around 70% of experts from the pool of around 4,000 assessors have not received
any opportunity to make site visits, while some have visited multiple times.
● Assessors were being allocated “arbitrarily”.
● This is leading to potential cases of conflict of interest.

Why are so few institutes accredited?

● According to current and former officials of the NAAC, the fear of obtaining poor grades
holds institutions back from applying.
● In 2019, the UGC launched a scheme named ‘Paramarsh’ to address the issue.
● Under the scheme, some of the best-performing institutes were identified to serve as
mentors to at least five institutes aspiring to get accredited.
● In 2022, the NAAC also explored the possibility of issuing Provisional Accreditation for
Colleges (PAC), under which one-year-old institutes could apply for accreditation that
would be valid for two years.
 ● Currently, only institutes that are at least six years old, or from where at least two batches
of students have graduated, can apply.
● The accreditation is valid for five years.[/su_box]

What is NAAC?

● It is an organisation that assesses and accredits higher education institutions (HEIs) in

India.
● It is an autonomous body funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
● It is an outcome of the recommendations of the National Policy in Education (1986)
which laid special emphasis on upholding the quality of higher education in India.
● Headquartered in Bangalore.
● The mandate of the NAAC as reflected in its vision statement is in making quality
assurance an integral part of the functioning of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
● The NAAC functions through its General Council (GC) and Executive Committee (EC)
comprising of educational administrators, policymakers and senior academicians from the
cross-section of Indian higher education system.

NAAC Procedure

The process of accreditation by NAAC was completely done on-site by a group of assessors.
After the Revised Accreditation Framework in 2017, the following two-stage process is
followed:
 ● Stage 1
○ Institutions keen to be assessed should submit an Institutional Information for
Quality Assessment (IIQA) and Self Study Report (SSR) to NAAC. The data
submitted will then be validated.
● Stage 2
○ This assessment will be based on various components, such as the number of
faculties, the number of research journals in the library, and the number of
international publications produced by the institute.

Various disciplinary measures are put in place for institutes and colleges for submitting incorrect
data.

The on-site grading is still a part of the assessment process. It is just 30% of the process and is
the last part of the NAAC assessment procedure.

Mission of NAAC

● To arrange for periodic assessment and accreditation of institutions of higher education or

units thereof, or specific academic programs or projects;
● To stimulate the academic environment for the promotion of quality of teaching-learning
and research in higher education institutions;
● To encourage self-evaluation, accountability, autonomy and innovations in higher
education;
● To undertake quality-related research studies, consultancy and training programs, and
● To collaborate with other stakeholders of higher education for quality evaluation,
promotion and sustenance.

Functions of NAAC
● Periodic assessment and accreditation of institutions of higher education.
○ Stimulate the academic environment for the promotion of the quality of
teaching-learning and research in higher education institutions.
○ Encourage self-evaluation, accountability, autonomy and innovations in higher
education.
○ Undertake quality-related research studies, consultancy and training programmes.
○ Collaborate with other stakeholders of higher education for quality evaluation,
promotion and sustenance.
 ● HEIs with a record of at least two batches of students graduated, or that have been in
existence for six years, whichever is earlier, are eligible to apply for the process of
Assessment and Accreditation (A&A) of NAAC.
● The NAAC accreditation does not cover distance education units of HEIs and offshore
campuses.
● It also does not accredit institutions providing technical education (that is covered by the
National Board of Accreditation (NBA), an organization established by the All India
Council for Technical Education (AICTE)).

Paramarsh Scheme
● Paramarsh - is a scheme for mentoring the National Accreditation and Assessment
Council (NAAC) accreditation aspirant institutions to promote quality assurance in
Higher Education.
○ The scheme will be operationalized through a “Hub & Spoke” model wherein the
mentor institution, called the “Hub” is centralized and will have the responsibility
of guiding the mentee institution through the “Spoke” i.e. through the services
provided to the mentee for self-improvement.
○ It would also facilitate the sharing of information, knowledge and opportunities
for research collaboration and faculty development in the mentee institutions.
○ It would aid in improving the accreditation culture, as the scheme aims at
accrediting all the Higher Education Institutions by 2022.

UPSC Questions related to NAAC

Is NAAC a statutory body?

● No, it is not a statutory body.

● NAAC is an autonomous body that assesses and accredits Higher Education Institutions
(HEIs) in India and is funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC)

What is the difference between NAAC and UGC?

● NAAC is an acronym for the National Assessment and Accreditation Council while UGC
is the University Grants Commission.
● UGC is responsible for approving Universities or Colleges whereas NAAC accredits the
programs offered in the University or institute.
● NAAC is an autonomous body that is funded by the University Grants Commission
(UGC).